Ezekiel 13 9

Ezekiel 13:9 kjv

And mine hand shall be upon the prophets that see vanity, and that divine lies: they shall not be in the assembly of my people, neither shall they be written in the writing of the house of Israel, neither shall they enter into the land of Israel; and ye shall know that I am the Lord GOD.

Ezekiel 13:9 nkjv

"My hand will be against the prophets who envision futility and who divine lies; they shall not be in the assembly of My people, nor be written in the record of the house of Israel, nor shall they enter into the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the Lord GOD.

Ezekiel 13:9 niv

My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and utter lying divinations. They will not belong to the council of my people or be listed in the records of Israel, nor will they enter the land of Israel. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign LORD.

Ezekiel 13:9 esv

My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and who give lying divinations. They shall not be in the council of my people, nor be enrolled in the register of the house of Israel, nor shall they enter the land of Israel. And you shall know that I am the Lord GOD.

Ezekiel 13:9 nlt

I will raise my fist against all the prophets who see false visions and make lying predictions, and they will be banished from the community of Israel. I will blot their names from Israel's record books, and they will never again set foot in their own land. Then you will know that I am the Sovereign LORD.

Ezekiel 13 verses

Ezekiel 13 9 Meaning

Ezekiel 13:9 details God's severe judgment upon false prophets who mislead His people with fabricated messages. These individuals will face multiple levels of exclusion: divine opposition, removal from the intimate community of God's people, deletion from civil records and ancestral inheritance, and ultimately, prohibition from entering the restored land of Israel. This multifaceted judgment serves to demonstrate God's unwavering identity and authority, asserting that He alone is the Lord God, whose words are true and whose justice prevails.

Ezekiel 13 9 Context

Ezekiel 13 falls within the prophetic book of Ezekiel, delivered during the Babylonian exile. The prophet Ezekiel, ministering among the exiles, confronts a significant problem: the presence of false prophets who are giving the people deceptive messages of peace and a swift return to Jerusalem. These false messages directly contradicted God's word, which declared a long exile and the complete destruction of Jerusalem as punishment for sin. Chapter 13 specifically denounces these false male prophets (vv. 1-16) and later false prophetesses (vv. 17-23) for building "flimsy walls" (Ezek 13:10) of lies and covering them with "whitewash" (Ezek 13:10), promising safety and security where there was none. Verse 9 is God's specific declaration of the severe consequences that await those who offer such delusive hope, highlighting the complete spiritual, social, and physical disenfranchisement they would face. It reinforces that the land of Israel is intrinsically tied to covenant faithfulness.

Ezekiel 13 9 Word analysis

• My hand (יָדִ֛י - yadi): The Hebrew word yad signifies a literal hand but often denotes power, strength, authority, and agency. In this context, "My hand will be against" (literally "my hand upon them") indicates direct, active, and inescapable divine judgment and opposition. It emphasizes God's sovereign initiative and ability to carry out His decrees. This is distinct from human hands and symbolizes the unyielding force of God's will.
• will be against (אֶל-הַנְּבִאִ֖ים - ’el hannevī’im): The preposition ‘el here signifies direct, hostile action or direction. The focus is on confrontation and divine retribution aimed precisely at those who have claimed to speak for God but have, in fact, misrepresented Him.
• the prophets (הַנְּבִאִ֖ים - hannevī’im): The Hebrew naví (prophet) denotes one who speaks on behalf of another, specifically God. The definite article "the" indicates a specific group operating at that time, masquerading as legitimate messengers. The term here is applied ironically, as they do not speak God's true word.
• who see (חֹזִ֥ים - ḥōzīm): The verb ḥazah means "to see" or "to behold," often in a prophetic context (a "seer" is a hozeh). It implies reception of visions or revelation. However, here it's coupled with "false," negating the divine source and true content usually associated with prophetic sight.
• false (שָׁוְא - shāw'): Shaw' means emptiness, vanity, falsehood, or futility. It indicates that the visions these prophets claim to receive are not just incorrect, but void of divine reality or substance, ultimately worthless and deceitful. This is often linked to idolatry or taking God's name in vain (Ex 20:7).
• and utter lying (וְקֹסְמִ֥ים כָּזָֽב - vəqōsəmīm kāzāv):
  • utter (וְקֹסְמִ֥ים - vəqōsəmīm): This is a participle from qāsam, meaning "to practice divination" or "to make incantations." It refers to forbidden occult practices, actively condemned by God as idolatrous (Dt 18:10-12). It implies manipulating spirits or seeking knowledge through illicit means rather than receiving direct revelation from God.
  • lying (כָּזָֽב - kāzāv): This Hebrew word explicitly means a lie, falsehood, or deception. It further amplifies shaw’, ensuring there's no ambiguity about the nature of their divinations: they are outright fabrications.
• They will not be in the council of my people (בְּס֣וֹד עַמִּ֔י לֹ֣א יִֽהְיֽוּ - bə-sōd ‘ammī lō’ yihyū):
  • council (סוֹד - sōd): Sod refers to an intimate group, confidential discussion, secret assembly, or trusted fellowship. This signifies removal from the spiritual and communal core of God's people. They will not be privy to God's intimate fellowship, nor considered trusted members of His covenant community, losing their identity and standing within the elect.
  • my people (עַמִּ֔י - ‘ammī): God's chosen, covenant nation, Israel. The possessive pronoun "my" underscores God's personal relationship and proprietorship, emphasizing the severity of being disowned by Him from this sacred bond.
• nor written in the register of the house of Israel (וּבִכְתָ֖ב בֵּ֣ית יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל לֹ֣א יִכָּתֵ֗בוּ - ū-vikṯāḇ bêt Yiśrā’ēl lō’ yikkāṯēvū):
  • register (כְתָ֖ב - kṯāv): A writing, document, or official list. This refers to official census lists, genealogical records, or civil registrations vital for identity, land inheritance, and citizenship in Israelite society. Exclusion from this implies loss of all civil rights and inheritance. This is closely related to the "Book of Life" concept in other Scriptures.
  • house of Israel (בֵּ֣ית יִשְׂרָאֵ֑ל - bêt Yiśrā’ēl): Refers to the entire community and nation of Israel. To be removed from its official records is a complete erasure of identity within the collective body of God's covenant nation, severing their connection to their heritage and future hope within Israel.
• nor will they enter the land of Israel (וְאֶל-אַדְמַ֥ת יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל לֹ֥א יָבֹֽאוּ - və-’el ‘aḏmat Yiśrā’ēl lō’ yāvō’ū):
  • enter (יָבֹֽאוּ - yāvō’ū): To come, to go in. Denotes physical access and residency.
  • land of Israel (אַדְמַ֥ת יִשְׂרָאֵ֖ל - ’aḏmat Yiśrā’ēl): The Promised Land, the physical embodiment of God's covenant blessings and inheritance. To be denied entry means exclusion from the place of divine blessing, security, and restoration. For exiles longing for return, this is the ultimate and most painful denial, signifying a complete loss of national and covenantal hope in the land.
• Then you will know that I am the Lord God (וִֽידַעְתֶּ֕ם כִּ֥י אֲנִ֖י אֲדֹנָ֥י יְהִֽה - vidatem kî ’ănî ’ăḏōnāy Yahweh): This is a recurring phrase in Ezekiel. It highlights that the outcome of God's judgments (both punitive and redemptive) serves the ultimate purpose of revealing His identity, sovereignty, and faithfulness to His people and the nations. His justice confirms His unique status as the true God, distinguishing Him from all idols and false authorities.

Words-group analysis

• My hand will be against the prophets who see false visions and utter lying divinations: This initial phrase establishes God's direct, personal, and decisive action against these deceitful prophets. It categorizes their specific offenses: producing shawe' (empty, vain, worthless) visions and engaging in kazav (lying) qesem (divination, illicit occult practices). This highlights the dual nature of their deception – both fabricated "revelations" and forbidden occult practices, all presented as divine. It's a comprehensive rejection of their spiritual authority and methodology.
• They will not be in the council of my people, nor written in the register of the house of Israel, nor will they enter the land of Israel: This powerful triple negative describes a cascading and complete expulsion.
  1. Council of my people (sod ‘ammi): Spiritual exclusion from intimacy with God and fellowship with His true people.
  2. Register of the house of Israel (ketav bet Yisrael): Civil and historical exclusion, stripped of identity, legal standing, and ancestral claims within the national community.
  3. Land of Israel (admat Yisrael): Geographical and covenantal exclusion, denied the ultimate symbol of God's blessing and inheritance, and therefore, hope of restoration for the exiles.
  This signifies a profound disinheritance – social, legal, spiritual, and physical – demonstrating the absolute severity of God's judgment against those who pervert His word.
• Then you will know that I am the Lord God: This concluding declaration links the preceding judgments directly to the revelation of God's unique identity. The profound, public, and undeniable nature of the false prophets' downfall would serve as irrefutable evidence to all that Yahweh alone is the sovereign, true God (Adonai Yahweh). It clarifies God's motive for judgment: not merely punishment, but the vindication of His truth and the revelation of His unparalleled authority.

Ezekiel 13 9 Bonus section

The concept of being "blotted out" from a book or register resonates throughout scripture. While here it's about the house of Israel's records, it echoes the spiritual "Book of Life" (e.g., Ex 32:32, Ps 69:28, Rev 20:15). False prophets, by their egregious deception, demonstrated they were never truly part of the righteous. Their prophetic claim to speak for God while doing the opposite places them in an extremely dangerous position, as per the severe warnings in Deuteronomy 18. This verse also functions as a polemic against ancient Near Eastern divinatory practices, contrasting God's direct and true prophecy with the manipulative and often deceptive practices of surrounding cultures. The repetition of "you will know that I am the Lord God" (over 70 times in Ezekiel) underscores the foundational truth God seeks to impart through His judgments and restorations, ensuring His unique and absolute sovereignty is recognized.

Ezekiel 13 9 Commentary

Ezekiel 13:9 unveils a solemn and layered divine judgment against those who speak presumptuously in God's name, delivering "false visions" and "lying divinations." These false prophets, by offering comfort and assurances contrary to God's declared will, hindered the people from seeking true repentance, thereby perpetuating their sin. God's response is a series of interconnected, increasingly severe exclusions. First, their expulsion from the "council of my people" signifies a spiritual severance from the inner fellowship of the faithful and from God Himself. They lose their standing as members of the covenant community, becoming outsiders. Second, being "not written in the register of the house of Israel" indicates a complete social and civil disenfranchisement, losing legal rights, inheritance, and identity within the nation—an eternal blot against their lineage. Third, their inability to "enter the land of Israel" represents the ultimate earthly rejection, barring them from the very inheritance God had promised His obedient covenant people, sealing their doom both nationally and spiritually. These pronouncements are not merely punishments but acts of clarification: by radically distinguishing the false from the true, God reveals His unassailable holiness and the veracity of His word, compelling His people and the watching nations to acknowledge, "Then you will know that I am the Lord God." This powerful statement underscores divine justice, self-vindication, and the absolute distinction between God's truth and human deception.